Category: How To

by Veggie Sutra

Cooking Vegetarian Chinese with a Cast-iron Wok

During a recent weekend in San Francisco, V and I visited The Wok Shop in China Town to buy a new cast-iron wok and we are pretty excited about it!    After bringing it home, we meticulously seasoned it as per the instructions of Randy at The Wok Shop and so far we have used it to make a couple of quick stir fries.   However this weekend, I ended up doing a real wok-a-thon, making as many as six dishes as a treat for V.    (With amma and V helping out, it did not feel like a lot of work.)

Broccoli with Ginger Sauce

All the recipes were adapted for our vegetarian kitchen from The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson.  We got this book so that we could learn more about cooking with and caring for our wok, but it turned out to be much more than that with all kinds of interesting ‘wok-lore’.  The title of the book is a metaphorical translation of wok hay, which is the indescribable essence and energy a well-cared-for wok imbues in to the food cooked in it.

The recipes in the book are truly from a family kitchen and not the typical Chinese restaurant food.   In subsequent posts, I will provide my vegetarian adaptations of the recipes in the book.   In the meantime, here is the menu and a few notes about my experience with the wok.

A weekend vegetarian Chinese wok-a-thon menu
Inspired by The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson

  • Aromatic Vegetarian Fried Rice
  • Stir-Fried Garlic Spinach
  • Broccoli with Ginger Sauce
  • Spicy Garlic Eggplant
  • Spicy Garlic Mushrooms with King Oyster Mushrooms
  • Tofu with Fermented Black Bean Sauce (my way of continuing the fermentation series!)
Seasoning our wok with chopped yellow onion.  The wok sits on a wok ring on the stove.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of cooking with the wok – the sizzling sounds and aromas as the ginger, garlic and shallots flash through the wok are addictive.  Here are some general notes:

  • Read the earlier post about how to season and maintain the wok and what can and cannot be cooked in a young wok versus an older one.  Just as an example, while it is a perfectly okay to steam vegetables by placing a bamboo steamer right inside the wok, boiling water may not be the best thing to do until the wok has acquired some non-stickiness through regular use. So today I used my regular old steamer to steam the vegetables.
  • V, who made two of the dishes, showed off his muscle power by lifting the wok with one hand to empty in to the serving dish.  The traditional wok is unwieldy and needs some skill to use, so be careful not to drop a hot wok on your feet.  
  • You need a wok ring to place the wok on modern stoves as the bottom of a wok is rounded. Alternately you can buy a flat-bottomed wok. 
  • Get everything ready before turning on the stove – cut the vegetables, mix the sauces and keep the ingredients close by.   The wok heats up very fast and stir fries are quick.  Every ingredient is cooked just for 2-3 minutes, leaving the vegetables slightly crisp yet flavorful.
  • Use an oil with a high smoke point because wok cooking is meant to be done at very high temperatures. Peanut oil or safflower oil are good, olive oil is not really ideal.  (Olive oil is more nutritious when consumed raw.)
  • Get a good wok chuan (spatula) to be able to turn the vegetables quickly in the wok.
  • Stock your pantry with good quality organic ingredients, especially, make sure that you use an organic non-GMO soy sauce (I use Kikkoman Organic Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce).
  • Cleaning the wok:  As I made six dishes in the wok back-to-back, I just rinsed it with hot water between dishes.  After the last dish, I used a cleaning method recommended in The Breath of a Wok.  (Interestingly we use a similar method in South India to clean our iron vaanalis.)  White rice is a staple in both Southern China and South India.  Before cooking, it is customary to thoroughly wash the rice in a couple of changes of water.  The water from washing the rice is saved so that it can be used to soak the wok after cooking.  After it has been soaked for not more than an hour, wash with hot water using a very soft sponge to remove any stuck food.  Dry immediately and put away.
Aromatic Vegetarian Fried Rice

Recipes coming up soon!
by Veggie Sutra

Home-made kefir – A fermented milk delicacy plus a Kefir-Blueberry Smoothie

As I mentioned last week, my kefir grains are here, and are thriving and making delicious kefir.  In fact my little pets have doubled in size.  The description given in various books and websites is appropriate – they look like little white cauliflower florets.  (Picture below.  They are not cute pets.  Please don’t judge.)

Kefir grains and a jar of home-made kefir

In his book, The Art of Fermentation,  Sandor Ellix Katz says “Kefir grains require regular care and feeding”.  It looks like I am committing myself to a lifetime of responsibility.  Once I have enough grains to share, I plan to give it away to some friends who can keep it going even if I drop the ball.

My primary sources for information on kefir are The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, and a website by Dominic Antiteatro of Australia who is known as the Kefir King.  (In fact even Katz mentions Dom’s website in his book.)  Every other internet write up (including the one you are reading now) seem to have culled their information from these 2 sources but it is worth reading other experiences.

How to Make Kefir from The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

Ingredients:

  • 1 litre/quart of organic whole milk (see note below on what milk to use)
  • 1 Tbsp (heaping) of kefir grains
  • About 24 hours of patience

Method:

  • Bring the milk to room temperature either by heating and cooling or leaving it out for a bit
  • Transfer to a clean glass jar
  • Add the kefir grains
  • Loosely cover with a cheese cloth and let sit on the counter away from direct sunlight
  • Shake or stir periodically (to spread the microbial activity).
  • Kefir is ready, when you can see that it has thickened a bit (It takes around 24 hours in California spring climate, longer if I want it sour)
  • Stir the kefir one last time.  Remove the kefir grains.  I just use clean hands or a spoon, as I found straining it a bit tedious. (See notes below on keeping the grains going.)
  • Enjoy the kefir
Notes:
  • What milk to use:
    • Regarding the type of milk to use, Sandor Katz says he always uses whole milk, raw when available, pasteurized if not.  I use organic pasteurized whole milk.  Even if you use raw milk, some people believe in boiling it and cooling it down to room temperature to kill the native bacteria (though they may be beneficial) so as to not contaminate the kefir.   Please let me know in comments below on what milk you have used for kefir.
  • Keeping the grains going:
    • Transfer the harvested grains to a clean jar, pour fresh milk over it and make the next batch.
    • If you have too much kefir, and do not wish to start another batch, put the grains in the refrigerator in some milk for up to 2 or 3 days.   Feed them periodically with fresh milk or else they will die.
    • The grains will multiply.  You can simply mix in the grains with the kefir and drink it. Or share it with friends.
  • There is a myth going around not to use metal containers or strainers when making kefir, but both Sandor Katz’s book and Dom’s website refute this.  Stainless steel should be perfectly fine.
  • Store-bought kefir will likely not have the same benefits as home-made for several reasons.
Kefir Blueberry Smoothie
Kefir is delicious consumed raw, especially for those who grew up eating yogurt.  The taste is not that far from yogurt.  In the chapter titled “Fermenting Milk” in The Art of Fermentation, Katz talks about other indigenous methods that different cultures have used for centuries to stabilize milk.  It is a fascinating read.
Since V and I typically start our day with a smoothie (as part of our regular breakfast variations), I decided to use the kefir to make smoothies.  We tried a Moroccan-style smoothie last time, this time it is a simple blueberry-banana smoothie.
A Simple Blueberry Banana Smoothie with Homemade Kefir

[Printable Recipe]

Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:

  • 2 cups home-made kefir (Get recipe here)
  • 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen berries this time of year allowing it to thaw in the fridge overnight)
  • 1 ripe banana

Method:

  • Blend all ingredients together
  • Pour and enjoy
  • If the smoothie is too thick for you, add half a cup of non-dairy milk and blend
Kefir Blueberry Smoothie
Please share your experiences with kefir and the ever-controversial topic of dairy!